As the end of the year approaches, it's time to celebrate a new year and also to look back at the last year of running, and sum up the successes and failures. It's been a great year for many reasons, and at this point, I tend to think any year of health running is a great one. The times and goals are really secondary to just being able to be out there running. I'm sure a lot of older runners can relate.

In any case, I want to share some of my running memories and highlights from the year, but I also really want to hear yours. I hope you will tell us about your favorite running memories from the last year in the comments section. There could be lots of different things that make the year special, whether it was finishing the death march that was the Chicago marathon this year, or running your first 5k and meeting your family to congratulate you at the finish line. Or maybe it was what Runner's World magazine calls a 'rave run', in some beautiful location.

For myself, it was a year of reaching some goals, and enjoying the fruits of that. It was also a year of some pretty slow races, and the realization that I am simply not able to run as fast as I could a few years ago. But I've said repeatedly that for me, just being able to run is rewarding enough, whether or not I ever run a race again.

That said, there were a few races that stood out for me this year. Two marathons, several half marathons, and longer runs, a few shorter races and lots of training made up a busy year of running. The highlight for me had to be running Boston for the first time. It is the sort of thing that stays with you no matter how you did. As it was, I ran pretty poorly, but the experience was great regardless. It was interesting contrasting the Boston race with Chicago. Boston was horrible weather. There was rain, cold and wind from the nor'easter that hit the area that weekend. Chicago was also horrible for just the opposite reasons. Heat and humidity were unbearable. I finished Boston, but chose to drop out of Chicago at 12 miles to save myself for another marathon instead. The conditions in both races were almost equally bad, but there was no way I was going to drop out of Boston. Chicago, though is a race I've run many times, and it really wasn't that big a deal to quit. And I got to experience the Lakefront 50 a few weeks later for the first time and really enjoyed it. The picture was taken the night of the race at a celebration dinner for my finishing the marathon, for Tom running a really good time at the Whistlestop marathon in Wisconsin, and Rick recovering from injury to rejoin our training regimen.

So anyway, I was about to mention m y favorite memories from 2007. There are several, but running Boston ranks at the top. Specifically, two memories will stick with me especially vividly. Despite the bad weather that kept away many of the fans that normally line the course five deep, I could hear the women of Wellesley College from nearly a mile away as we approached. It was such a thrill to go through that part of the course, giving 'high fives' to all the college girls. It was inspiring to see how much they really get into it. the other memory is of my wife somehow finding her way to the front at the finish line and finding me right before I crossed the line. We had discussed how it would be impossible to see me finish, and we would meet at a spot after the race. Somehow though, she managed to be there, and it meant a lot to have her share in my experience there.

I have a few other memories that stand out from the year as well. The Soldier Field run was fabulous as always, and I ran the fastest ten miles I've done in several years there (just under an hour and ten minutes). The CARA 20 miler along the lakefront before the Chicago marathon was a great day, and a wonderful run. What Carey Pinkowski wouldn't have done for weather like that three weeks later!

It was that same kind of weather in the spring for the Green Bay marathon. I ran half with my friend Greg. I helped pace him over the easy part. Then he picked it up a bit and ran an incredible time for him. A P.R. and Boston qualifier. It was one of those idyllic days for running, and I really felt great joy for his accomplishment.

So those are a few of my memorable moments from 2007. What are yours? Please share your thoughts. And I'll see you on the roads.

Running the weekend before Christmas is always a great time. The path is much less crowded than usual, and there are never any races on the immediate horizon. So it's a great time to enjoy a run, work off some of those holiday over-indulgences, and reflect on the holidays.

That's how it was this past weekend along the lakefront. But there was the added bonus of running in a pretty good fog. As we ran down the area by Oak Street beach Saturday, we looked across the lake and were unable to see Navy Pier. It was completely obscured by fog from just a few blocks away. It was surreal, and very cool.

The footing on the path was horrible. Swampy. So we decided to head over the bridge from North Avenue and run on the concrete along the lake heading south. It was a good decision, as the few others we saw out there seemed to have been led to the same conclusion. It's great to have the flexibility in your training to be able to go with the flow. When conditions merit change, you can go with it without worry.

This is always a reflective time of the year for me, and I'm sure, many other runners as well. First there are the holidays to consider. Running is an escape from the hustle and pressure to get everything done. The more reflective part comes in remembering some of the great holidays in the past, with family and friends. It's also a time to take stock at the end of the year of all the changes you have seen in the years that is just about to end. It's difficult to really reflect on any of these things day to day, with all the holiday tasks and obligations to consider. But, once again, that's one of the best things about running. It allows you the time to let your thoughts wander. Running keeps me sane this time of year, not to mention in some semblance of shape with all the extra calories I'm taking in.

Speaking of being busy during the holidays... I should tell you I'm picking up this part of the entry three days after starting it. I'm now writing on Christmas day, after finishing a peaceful, beautiful run through downtown Elmhurst. It's very different from the foggy conditions of a couple days ago. There is bright sun today, and most of the ice and snow have melted away leaving great footing. And with the Christmas holiday, the streets are mostly empty. It's great!

I don't know about you, but I feel a little extra pull to incorporate a run on special days. I always like to get out on my birthday, New Year's, and Christmas to name a few. And on this day, I was not disappointed. Our family got up early with our two young girls, and enjoyed the traditional Christmas morning. Our oldest daughter (3) ripped through all her gifts before most everyone else had opened one. It was fun. But as soon as they were ready to lay down for naps, I took advantage and threw on the running clothes.

I hope you are able to get some runs in during this busy time. It's definitely something worth making a priority. And I hope you have a great holiday, whatever you celebrate!

It takes some getting used to, but running without any specific training goals is pretty fun. It's been a few years since I've done that. It seems there is always another big race to look forward to. In the last year alone, I've had three marathons, and at least six other races of at least ten miles to half marathon distance. So it is refreshing to get back to running just for the sake of running. There is really nothing on my racing calendar for the forseeable future.

A lot of runners stay motivated by scheduling races. Having that race looming on the calendar forces us to keep focused on training consistently, doing some speed or tempo work along with hills or other specific training.

But without that motivation (and pressure) it's nice to just get out to run simply for the enjoyment of it. The last few days haven't been as enjoyable as I might like because of the ice storms, but every run is an adventure! That was the conversation I had with my training partner Tom over the weekend as we ran on the Prarie Path. I convinced him to come to my new neighborhood, and we ran from Elmhurst on the path, into Villa Park, Lombard, and Glen Ellyn.

We ran slow. Really slow. Part of that was because of the snow, and the path which wasn't plowed beyond Elmhurst, and part of that was because we really weren't paying attention to pace or the clock. I thought afterward that if we were training for a race, a slow run like that might be a little cause for concern. But without that training element, there was really no reason to even think about the time. We enjoyed the elements, the conversation, and most of all, the run.

The reason I run in the first place, is because I enjoy it. Running is ingrained into my routine, and a part of my day nearly every day. Even when I don't get out, generally, it's because of a planned day off. My wife asks me almost every day about my running plans, so she can plan her day around my absence for that time. You get the picture. Running is a constant. But it's not always fun.

The last couple months of training this summer into the fall were actually beginning to drag. I knew I needed to get mileage in, and needed to get my work on the track. I was running well, and feeling good physically, but mentally I was really getting tired of feeling the need to run as opposed to the desire to run. The self-imposed pressure to run a good time in the marathon only made it less fun. I wanted the race to be over!

Tom, coincidently, has been on pretty much the same running schedule, even though we have only run a couple of the same races. But he has enjoyed taking a little break as well. We've agreed to wait until early spring to even talk about races either of us might want to train for in the future. I do know that New York and Boston are out there, and I will likely want to run both in the next year or so. But that's a long way off, and there is plenty of time to think about those in the future.

If there is any training goal right now, it's to maintain fitness. Fortunately, it's possible to do that by simply running regularly (for fun) without worrying about it. So it's all about fun for a few months! I'll figure out a plan after that.

I have watched lots of running-themed movies over the years ranging from 'Chariots of Fire' to both of the Steve Prefontaine efforts. I find them interesting and inspiring. Runners find their motivation in in lots of different places. We share the similar experiences of our sport, but two runners can run the same race on the same day and have completely different thoughts about it.

For me, running occupies a good deal of my thoughts and planning nearly every day. I have been planning my meal schedule (as well as many other things) around running almost daily for years. If I'm planning a morning run, I will eat very little for breakfast. If it's an evening run or race, I'm mindful of what I eat for lunch. You get the idea. Fitting running into my day is just something I've been doing since High School. And talking about running with my running friends is also something I've been doing since then. Running is so ingrained into my routine, it's difficult to take days off. I had no choice by to take the last two days off, and really felt guilty about it. My body feels out of sorts, and psychologically, I have a hard time dealing with it. It's strange, but for such a simple sport, that involves little other than putting one foot in front of the other, we do tend to expend a lot of time and obsessing over it. And I'm not even training for anything right now!

In any case, what I was getting to is that I have read relatively few books about running. I know there are some good ones out there, but I haven't read many. Magazines and newspapers are a different story. I have read Runner's World for some 25 years, and I devour any articles I find in other sports publications.

It was the latest edition of Runner's World that got me to thinking about all this. They have an excerpt from a new novel coming out called 'Again to Carthage' by John L. Parker. He is the author of what I'm told is one of the best books on running ever written called, 'Once a Runner'. That book has been out of print for years, and old copies sell on ebay for $100. Needless to say, I haven't read that one yet.

I did read the excert from the latest one though, and I was really dissapointed when I finished, because I want to read the whole thing. It is really good stuff that seems to capture much of the universal experience of running competitively. The story centers around a fictional character named Quentin Cassidy, who has run in the Olympics but is on the downside of his career. I was fascinated at how when he describes his running experiences it seems like it would resonate with weekend warriors and serious, competitive runners alike.

One of the most poignant passages for me talks about how runners can feel the aging process perhaps more closely than non-athletes. That's because we tend to live by the clock. We time every run on the stopwatch, and the watch doesn't lie as the times inevitably start getting slower. I certainly noticed that after college when I stopped training hard, and I have definitely noticed that as I hit the mid-40's.

In any case, based on the excerpt, I would recommend the book. It was being sold exclusively in Fleet Feet stores in November, but is widely available now. I have to wait until the end of December to read the whole book though. It's on my Christmas list. But I'm told the original book, 'Once a Runner' is also being re-released in a couple months. So, hopefully that will be on my birthday list (I'm a February birthday).

That should help get me through the winter! That, and of course, running.